Friday, September 16, 2005
Genuine Hope
My wife generally agrees with my pet theory when it comes to dealing with people - "They never really change." By that I mean that if a person is a jerk today, they will more or less be a jerk 20 years from now. Oh sure, they will have some of the rough edges worn off, but when pressed, "jerkness" will again become evident. My wife though is quick to testify about how God can and does "fix" people with genuine and sincere emotional and mental issues.
Eternal Perspectives is taking a far more serious look at the question.
Anyway, EP looks at the promises of scripture and concludes there is genuine hope for real healing. To which I, Mr. "People never really change," responds - OF COURSE! To my way of thinking the key question is why we don't see more of it? Why are there so many "victims" sitting in pews? I know some people sitting in pews for 10-15-20 years still claiming the same victimhood!
When I started wrting this post I was going to go off on "Many are called, few are chosen," and there is some truth in that, but now that I am here I'm going in a different direction.
What is wrong with the what we are preaching and what we are doing in churches that the healing and victory so obviously offered in scripture is so little in evidence? I think some of the answer lies in the melding of church and psychology that I mentioned earlier. We have diluted the power of the gospel with the useful, but far less powerful tools of human science.
But more, I think we have defined "sin" down. Yesterday's sin is today's addiction, problem, or emotional difficulty. We excuse adultery due to any number of emotional issues when we should declare it as sin and urge the adulterer to seek healing from the Holy Spirit.
From a godless psychological viewpoint, the quote which EP begins his post with makes perfect sense, the lie within is exposed only when the power of God enters the equation. We need to rely less on our own understanding, and more on His power.
Eternal Perspectives is taking a far more serious look at the question.
The church unfortunately has been influenced by some beliefs from psychologists without always evaluating them biblically or theologically. There is a prevalent notion in many pews that - even for Christians - some situations are genuinely intractable and hopeless. God either won?t or can?t overcome our internal and external conflicts or the consequences of them, leaving us to suffer through life.The first sentence of that pull quote deserves a series of blog posts all it's own -- in my opinion, it's a huge problem. (That's a hint Mike, I can't think of anyone better suited!)
My concerns about this concept are legion, but foremost is the "I'm-a-poor-victim"/"I'm-such-a-martyr" attitude adopted by more than a few believers. If Crabb is correct, then we are all doomed by the vagaries of life. Until heaven, what has been is what is and what is is what will be. Get used to it.
Anyway, EP looks at the promises of scripture and concludes there is genuine hope for real healing. To which I, Mr. "People never really change," responds - OF COURSE! To my way of thinking the key question is why we don't see more of it? Why are there so many "victims" sitting in pews? I know some people sitting in pews for 10-15-20 years still claiming the same victimhood!
When I started wrting this post I was going to go off on "Many are called, few are chosen," and there is some truth in that, but now that I am here I'm going in a different direction.
What is wrong with the what we are preaching and what we are doing in churches that the healing and victory so obviously offered in scripture is so little in evidence? I think some of the answer lies in the melding of church and psychology that I mentioned earlier. We have diluted the power of the gospel with the useful, but far less powerful tools of human science.
But more, I think we have defined "sin" down. Yesterday's sin is today's addiction, problem, or emotional difficulty. We excuse adultery due to any number of emotional issues when we should declare it as sin and urge the adulterer to seek healing from the Holy Spirit.
From a godless psychological viewpoint, the quote which EP begins his post with makes perfect sense, the lie within is exposed only when the power of God enters the equation. We need to rely less on our own understanding, and more on His power.
